1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a print server, a printing system, a print management program, and a print management method.
2. Related Art
From the past, technology is known by which after a user transmits job data subject to printing to a print server, by the user operating the printer or a mobile terminal to send execution instructions specifying a printer to the print server, only a specified user is able to receive the printed matter output from the printer. This technology is called lead-in printing. For example, noted in Japanese Patent No. 3685201, the print server that receives the job data converts the job data to print data of a general purpose format such as PDF or the like and stores it, and when it receives execution instructions after that, print data is transmitted to the indicated printer. Noted in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-141021 is an item for which the print server that receives the job data converts the job data to intermediate image data and stores it, and when it receives execution instructions after that, it converts the intermediate image data to print data adapted to the indicated printer and transmits that. As noted in Japanese Patent No. 3685201 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-141021, before receiving execution instructions, by converting the job data to print data that can be processed by the printer, or to intermediate image data with a small processing volume when converting to print data that can be processed by the printer, it is possible to shorten the time required from execution instruction to printing start.
However, with the technology noted in Japanese Patent No. 3685201, there is the problem that it is only possible to apply this to a printer compatible with general purpose formats such as PDF or the like. Also, with the technology noted in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-141021, there is the problem that degradation of the image quality occurs during conversion from the intermediate image data to print data. In specific terms, for example, when the image is reduced by resolution conversion from the intermediate image data to print data, there are cases when fine lines are lost or damaged.